Random Ramblings: Schedule Outlook After Week One

ME-97

09/02/2001

While it's frustrating to still be some six days away from the opening kickoff for 2001 Stanford football, Cardinalmaniacs were treated to a feast of televised games of 2001 foes. The Bootleg of course stayed glued to get the skinny on our impending opponents. Enjoy an abundantly opinionated look at these teams, including a heavy focus on Boston College and that disaster across the Bay.

The story of this weekend has to be two programs performing
markedly below expectations... or at least, markedly short of the
hype.

Even though kal has been widely predicted to finish in the
bottom half of the Pac-10, it wasn't clear that they would be this
bad. With their abysmal showing (or lack thereof) on Saturday,
the barely Bears are off to the races for the title of weakest
D-I team in the state of California. While the Weenies have been
woeful on offense en route to cellar-dwelling finishes for the
last several years in the conference, their defense has kept
their heads just above water. But their _efense in 2001 most
closely resembles a course sieve. An Illinois team that struggled
last year had no problem whatsoever passing all over the Weenie
defense (e.g. Brandon Lloyd for 178 yards). By the looks of
things, QBs and WRs might be able to use kal as a springboard for
post-season awards this year. What doesn't make sense is how kal
is taking such a marked step backward when their secondary wasn't
the part of the defense depleted from last year. The big losses
were Andre Carter and Jacob Waasdorp up on the front line, while
a very solid player like Jameel Powell returned at cornerback. So
how did a relatively talented Powell, at least from last year's
observations, get burned badly twice on Saturday? One explanation
might be that the lack of a pass rush up front is going to put a
lot more pressure on the DBs, and give them more chances to be
disadvantaged. But the other component has to be related to the
coaching and ill-preparation that was so evident in this game.

So as the thesis was being constructed for kal football 2001,
a strong defense was finally going to get the compliment of an
improved offense. We now see the undoing of that vaunted defense,
but equally disturbing is the complete lack of progress on
offense. Kyle "Backside" Boller is every bit as awful
as last year, even when he does get time in the pocket. He has no
presence, and makes both bad throws and bad decisions. This whole
"Jesus in cleats" thing needs to be put to bed - Bear
backers are best served to set their sights on Lazarus at this
point. 17 of 29 for a buck-eighty-four, one pick and no scores.
On top of that, one of his few receivers on the roster just was
lost for several weeks from a "non-football injury" the
evening following the Illinois-induced pasting, requiring
surgery. Yikes. Now the true bright light for kal is tailback Joe
Igber, who looks better than ever. He pulled the Weenie offense
by his lonesome like some proud husky pulling a some
refuse-laden sled through the harsh Arctic expanse. By all
rights, this team should take the legal steps to rename itself
the Joe Igber Golden Bears, at least in the interest of
transparency. The bad news is that Igber isn't the type of back
who can overcome this sorry of an offense (and overall team) to
victories. Nothing short of reconstructive surgery will do for
this program. Oh, and for icing on this cyanide-laced cake,
special teams has fallen significantly after the departure of
Nick Harris. A fumbled kick return and blocked punt that didn't
even require the blocker to leave his feet were pretty notable.

The other grand disappointment had to be the Oregon Ducks.
Sure, the eked (quacked?) out a win against a Wisconsin team
that had bested them the previous season, but the way they did it
was underwhelming in every dimension. Harrington hit Howry early
and often, but faded to something less thereafter. He showed a
lot of emotion on national TV, but he didn't show equivalent
poise or accuracy. I've seen a lot of legitimate Heisman
candidate QBs over the years, and there just isn't much
resemblance. He struggled to find receivers against a defense
that Heisman candidates of yesteryear would have dissected. Their
#1 tailback, Maurice Morris, struggled mightily, which was a much
bigger surprise to me. 15 rushes for 18 yards??? This wasn't even
a shell of the Mo we saw last season - so what gives? It may not
ultimately matter, as a new running engine emerged in Onterrio
Smith (8 for 88). Between these two, the running game might hold
up, but you have to wonder if the pass blocking isn't there. On
the other side of the ball, Oregon looked the least imposing
they've looked in a long time. The Gang Green is a distant
memory, with a lot of speed and big plays missing. Wisconsin
presents a very mediocre offense headed by a very mediocre backup
QB in Jim Sorgi, yet it was a few dropped balls that kept
Wisconsin from tying or winning the game. In other years, those
stops would have been forced by Oregon defenders. This team is
beatable, and showed Saturday that Stanford will have a very fair
chance to win at Autzen.

We also learned a heckuva lot about Boston College, the most
immediate concern for this team. The outlook for BC is a mixed
bag... Their reputation last season was a very potent offense and
a less-than-potent defense. What they showed Saturday against
West Virginia was perhaps the same average defense, but a new
focus and competency on offense. The important caveat about the
offense is that tailback William Green (204 yds, 3 TDs). He,
several times in the game, broke a big run with a single hole in
front of him. Green has NFL-caliber explosive speed, in addition
to some very good open field moves. On his first big TD run, he
cut back to the left when he saw a hole open up, but then found
two WVU defenders ready to bring him down. A quick shake of his
upper body made the first miss badly, and then pure acceleration
blew him past the second would-be tackler. Green is gone when he
gets past the defensive front, in the open field... As the second
half progressed, we then saw Dana Bible opt for the option. True,
Stanford has not handled the option well in the last two seasons,
but the overall defensive speed has dramatically improved and
should be much better equipped. Specifically in preparation of
Boston College, you have to recognize that the option is merely
another avenue to get Green the ball. Defenders should not commit
to Brian St. Pierre (QB), as he won't be the one to hurt Stanford
at all. In fact, that will give Green a great chance to turn the
corner and blaze down the sideline... Speaking of St. Pierre, he
was rather mediocre in the air (11 of 26, 146 yds). Stanford's
secondary should be able to handle the BC passing game in single
coverage, if Baer wants to load the box to in a Green-stopping
effort... The other notable of the Eagle passing game was some
pretty poor pass blocking (the run blocking was much better). I
saw a very average West Virginia team get relatively consistent
outside pressure on St. Pierre, and he looked like a QB
ill-equipped to handle any pressure... Add all this up, and a game
plan by Kent Baer should come into focus in a hurry... On the
other side of the ball, there was nothing remarkable as a
positive or negative for BC. They had a few good individual
efforts/plays, but no Coy Wire or Tank Williams that jumped out
at me. Their defensive speed is average, and a pretty bad West
Virginia passing game had more success than they should in the
air. This is a good defense for Stanford's developing receiving
corps to open with. Fasani could have a very big day... On
special teams, very interesting to note that BC has the same kid
place kicking and punting. Stanford has painful experience in the
last several years for what that can bring. Could the Cardinal
actually have a kicking edge in the opener?

(The ignortant East Coast media strikes again. As the
BC/WVU game was closing, sidekick announcer Ed "Richie"
Cunningham commented on Stanford as BC's next opponent. Clearly
enthralled with the Eagles, Stanford was likened to Ohio, the
next opponent for West Virginia - one you shouldn't completely
overlook. The phrase "even though they were bad last
year" particularly stuck out. Hhhmm. Fourth in the Pac-10
was bad, eh?
"Richie" tried to impress with his wealth of college
football knowledge by citing the promise of a certain returning
quarterback for the Cardinal - named Fahziani.)

UCLA surely emerged from this first week of football atop the
Pac-10 heap, with the most talented overall showing to date. The
unquestioned star is running back DeShaun Foster, who showed why
he is the runaway favorite Heisman candidate in this conference
(Harrington isn't even in the same breath). Foster is bigger,
stronger - and yet as fast as ever. It's a good thing Toledo has
a healthy Foster because the rest of the offense apparently
missed the plane for Tuscaloosa. Cory Paus put the
"powder" in the powder blue with a 8 for 22 day for a
sub-human 123 yards. Backup Alabama QB Andrew Zow arguably
matched Paus on the day when he played just one drive and hit 3
for 3 for 95 yards. Brian Poli-Dixon was a virtual no-show, and
was revealed on nationwide TV as being out of shape, as relayed
from Toledo to a sideline reporter. No catches. Three drops.
Ouch. But Foster is so good, that this was all overcome, on the
road at Alabama no less. The defense showed up, and played well
aside from one blown coverage for an early Alabama TD strike. On
special teams, Nate Fikse actually stood out with his booming
punts, including two over 50 yards. Probably the most telling
stat of a team with many more W's ahead: zero turnovers.

The "other" team in LA was also in action, hosting
our friends from the 408 in the first game of the Pete Carroll
era. We need more information than the Spartans, but there is
clearly a new look for $C on both sides of the ball. On offense,
the pass looks to be setting up the run, which harkens back to
the days of yore at "Tailback U." Sultan McCullough
isn't generally rated as highly as DeShaun Foster or Ken
Simonton, but he outrushed them both this weekend - 167 yards on
25 carries. When the ball went to the air, Carson Palmer spread
it around, hitting 7 different receivers. Hard to imagine Kareem
Kelly only grabbing 3 balls for 18 yards and $C being successful,
but we're likely to see a simpler offense aimed at efficiency
rather than razzle-dazzle. On defense, the move is to the fastest
players Carroll can put on the field, and that paid off already.
A San Jose team that scored in bunches last year put up just 10
points, and Heisman candidate Deonce Whitaker was shut down.

That last sentence tells the story for Sannizay, which didn't
perform anything like the 2000 edition against $C. Deonce ran for
just 25 yards in his first 15 carries? Just 65 yards for the
game? A lot of credit has to go to $C and the in-game adjustments
they made to contain DW, but you have to wonder if the Spartans
are going to sputter in the post-Baldy era. Was Dave Baldwin
really a genius that lifted an average talent base to above
average achievements, as many Booties have long surmised? The
early returns suggest as much. This was a poor performance for a
Sannizay team returning a lot of key starters. One key starter
for 2001 is out of the equation as linebacker Luke LeHerran was
declared NCAA-inelligible for academic failings. Count on LeError
to next suit up in safety orange in Corvallis, as Dennis Erickson
proudly hails him as a "token student."

Wazzu played back on Thursday, and... well... maybe played
their best game since the Ryan Leaf days. Winning by 29 points a
cumulative goal for prior Coug squads, but they achieved that
incredibly in one game. Yeah, we're talking about Idaho, but
Wazzu has struggled in recent years against the Vandals. Former
Marine David Minnich is starting to live up the Palouse Preamble,
picking up 127 yards on the ground. We don't know how long it
will last, but the Coug Crazies are loving their summer optimism
actually surviving game one. One sign of trouble down the road,
though: 15 flags.

Arizona gets the award for most overrated win of the first
week. They played the most downright unsightly game against San
Diego State, which was not worthy of its thus-far-recognized D-I
status. Assuming the pending NCAA investigation does not reveal a
hidden pocket of D-II programs masquerading as Tier One that
evening, we thus congratulate Johhny Mack for his first win with
the Mildcats. We aren't fooled, though. The lesser of the misfits
won this travesty. Week two shouldn't pull back the proverbial
curtain, though, as those same Idaho Vandals that were pasted in
the Palouse are up next. Tuscon still looks like a favorable
destination for this Cardinal Crusade.

addendum: The River Rats aren't on the schedule this
year, but their performance tonight in Fresno is noteworthy to
Pac-10 pundits. In a strange twist of fate, the Beavs were bested
by what appeared to be the 2000 Oregon State squad. Strip away
those unfortunate red unitards that the Bulldogs were sporting,
and I'm sure you'd find the Y2K edition of Dennis Erickson's
rascals. FSU looked more than impressive with their blinding team
defense speed, and hits that you'd expect to see from a different
sort on Sundays. Witness the complete domination they displayed
against Ken Simonton. Umm, wow. On offense, they put forth a
NFL-bound QB over 6 feet (in contrast to the Beavs) and
a skilled no-name receiving corps that beat some very good OSU
DBs (read: Weathersby). I credit Fresno for far more, and OSU
isn't downgraded quite as much as the score might indicate. I'm
giving them some slack given that their opponents were the best I
saw all week (didn't catch the Miami game). Though there is a
real concern here: the River Rats lost some key players from last
year, including those up front on offense. If they can't protect
their QB (Smith) and can't give Simonton better blocking, more
L's may be on the way.